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SUNRISE, Fla. – Matthew Tkachuk, A St. Louis-raised hockey star and back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, has been chosen to be featured on the cover of the EA Sports NHL 26 video game.
Tkachuk, a 27-year-old forward for the Florida Panthers, has become well respected for his gritty style of play, one of few skaters to truly excel in physicality and offense. He has also scored several clutch playoff goals in the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, including the series-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Tkachuk is the first cover athlete on EA Sports’s annual NHL video game to hold a Stanley Cup in since Jonathan Toews in 2016.
Tkachuk was born in Arizona, but raised in St. Louis for much of his childhood as his father, Keith, became a fan favorite for the St. Louis Blues in the early 2000s. Earlier this summer, Tkachuk brought the Cup to St. Louis Children’s Hospital and other local landmarks just days after getting married.
Tkachuk is the most recent St. Louis connection to the EA NHL video game cover, which was last achieved by a Blues player (Vladimir Tarasenko) in 2017.
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